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Thoughts from a soon-to-be Father of Two

Rebecca’s due date is one week away, on February 27. If things go like they did with Catherine (who was born five days after her due date), then this baby would be born on March 4. We cannot, of course, predict these things, so in reality the baby could be born any time within the next two weeks (since the medical folks don’t like to let things go much more than a week past the due date). Here’s a little of what has been on my mind…

Things for me have been pretty busy, starting with work. Since June of ’08, I’ve been project managing a big project at work, and since August of ’08 that project is essentially the only thing I’ve been working on. As of February 2, the project has launched and I’ve started to back off from it a bit, but it still occupies a lot of my time. The challenge now is getting all of the pieces wrapped up and bundled so that when baby #2 finally arrives, I can take off for two weeks without worrying (too much) about leaving people hanging.

That’s one of the biggest differences for me between baby #1 and baby #2… back in 2005-2006 I wasn’t managing anything nearly this scale and didn’t have nearly this level of responsibility. Nowadays, a lot more is expected of me, even more so given recent news. But preparing for an unexpected two-weeks-off has been a powerful motivator to get things done and get my ducks in a row. Every day, I think to myself, “What if I were out for two weeks starting tomorrow? What do I need to get done that’s not done now? Who do I need to talk to? What emails or phone calls do I need to make? What meetings do I need to have? What documentation do I need to write? What projects need to be wrapped up?” Answering those questions takes up most of of my time and energy each day, but I’m glad that I asked them in the first place.

I’ve been busy outside of work, too. Since Rebecca’s mobility and energy levels are not up to their usual, I’ve been helping out more than ever. Most days generally go: get up, go to work from 7-4, come home, help with dinner and/or Catherine, put Catherine to bed, do a chore or two, crash for an hour (usually too burned out to do much of anything productive) and then go to sleep (usually far too late, given my early work day). yawn I’ve been spending more time with Catherine in the evenings and on weekends, going out on errands and trips, playing together, and developing our own routines. I think the closer bond we’re forming will serve us well when Baby #2 arrives, since Baby #2 will be spending lots of time with its Momma.

So, things are generally ready for the baby to arrive. We’re trying to keep the house clean, we’ve got the cradle set up, we’ve got baby clothes and diapers, we’ve got the baby car seats installed in our cars (which means we can no longer take extra passengers!), we’ve got all of our forms sent in, and the midwives are telling Rebecca that everything looks good! Rebecca is as calm and cool as a cucumber and has been quite productive with getting our freezer stocked with food and our house organized, in addition to a ton of knitting and crafting, and most recently hosting Jenn at our house for two nights! Catherine has been painting up a storm with her watercolors, and being a good helper for Momma during the day. I’m in a good place with my tasks at work, our taxes are filed, our bills are paid, and I’m comfortable with my responsibilities at home. There are always more things to be done, of course, but nothing critical.

Rebecca headed out to a knitting group at 7:30 tonight, Catherine got herself to sleep by 8:30, and I’ve been enjoying some peace and quiet (yes, yes, enjoy it while I can, I know, that’s what I’m doing). I hope you’re having a good evening, wherever you are. In between our blog posts, remember that you can follow Rebecca and I on various social networks (Delicious, Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr). Check out the info on our Social Networks page.